2. What is Positioning?
• Positioning is a marketing concept followed by
marketers to generate an image of their
product/service in the mind of customers.
Positioning helps to create a distinct image of the
brand and the product in the mind of the
consumers in comparison with other products or
brands. Every marketer considers the brand
positioning as one of the most important aspect of
overall brand creation. People have different
perception about a brand based on how the brand
was positioned in the market.
3. Types of Positioning
Positioning is broadly classified into three types:
• 1. Functional: This is used when the brand or products
provide solutions to problems and provide benefits to
customers. It focuses on the function, benefit or utility that
it gives to the customer.
• 2. Symbolic: This is useful for creating a brand image
which helps create brand equity, a sense of social
belongingness and ego-identification. It is when a
customer has an affection, social connection, ego
identification etc with the product.
• 3. Experiential: This creates sensory and cognitive
simulation in the minds of the customer. It is one of the
basis of the experiences which a customer can relate to.
5. Key
Elements
of
Positioning
Strategy
1. Product Features:
Positioning can be done on
how the product looks, feels,
appears etc.
2. Utility & Benefits: It takes
into account the value which a
product gives, and which
needs are solved.
3. Use Categories: This
defines how the product can
be used.
4. Occasion: The time, event
or the occasion when the
product can be used.
5. Competitive Comparison:
Positioning an be done when
compared to a competitive
offering.
6. pitfalls in positioning
• Under Positioning: The state of buyers where they do not have
much information about the brand and its attributes and use and
consider the brand to be just another in the pool of brand is called
under positioning. This is a field attempt to assert distinctive
positions in the market.
• Over Positioning: This is the state where the buyers or
perspective buyers attaches a very narrow image for the brand.
They have perception about a particular brand due to lack of
information of pre decided notion. For example, buyers think that
Apple only comes out with expensive products where Apple has a
range of products at different prices.
• Confused Positioning: It is often observed that a brand will be
created too many associations with the product or will reposition
the brand very frequently. This results in confusing the potential
buyers about the goods and hampers the positioning schemes.
• Doubtful Positioning: There are situations where the buyer finds
it extremely difficult to believe the claims made by the brand given
the price, product features or the manufacturer. This means the
positioning strategy has not been to effectively in convincing the
potential buyers about the good.
7. Benefits of positioning in marketing
Create a strong competitive position
• Proper positioning influences how customers perceive your product or service relative to the competition. When you create a
positive image of your product/ service in the customers’ minds, you’re likely to enjoy an ongoing market advantage. By doing
this, you can claim your position in the competitive landscape, which helps you a lot to stay ahead of the curve.
Improve sales
• One of the main goals of any business is to improve sales and revenue. By having a more relevant offering and communicating it
more effectively, your company may be able to penetrate a new market, which can translate into new clients and additional sales.
Define a clearer target market
• Positioning in marketing allows you to claim a specific feature or benefit and focus your products/ services accordingly so that
you appear as an expert in the services. As a result, your value to prospects will increase significantly.
8. Make more effective decisions
• Once you have the core message that ensures successful positioning strategies, you’ll be in a position to
make more effective decisions throughout the process. Clear positioning in marketing also drives effective
communication, provides healthier and stronger relationships with customers.
Connect to consumer needs
• Through positioning in marketing, companies have an opportunity to communicate the critical benefits that
their product/ service offers. It not only helps to energize the product but also connects it to the specific
customer that needs it
